Five College Sports Figures Who Could Credibly Host ‘Saturday Night Live’

To this day, even after the pulverization of terrestrial television, there are only two sure Saturday bets on the small screen: college football and Saturday Night Live.

If you think these properties rarely overlap, that’s not your imagination. In the half-century history of SNL, no true college sports figure has ever hosted the show. There could be a number of reasons for this—the territorial nature of college sports, their relative unpopularity in New York, the logistics of any college sports figure dropping everything and flying to New York, and the fact that such figures frequently work Saturdays—but fewer and fewer hold water as college sports’ post-pandemic popularity boom continues.

With that in mind, here are five college sports figures that we think are capable of stepping into Studio 8H and speaking directly to America.

Curt Cignetti

Why he could do it: Thanks to his taciturn sideline persona and dry humor, the Indiana coach has the rare gift of being both intentionally and unintentionally funny in equal measure. He doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously, and the Hoosiers’ sprawling alumni base gives him a built-in level of fame.

How he could do it: Another national championship probably buys him enough crossover pop-culture clout to do it, though there is a risk that the second title won’t hit quite like the first.

Suggested musical guest: This should be the scenario that finally drags Zach Bryan, Cignetti’s NCAA 27 trailer co-star, onto the show.

Half-hearted sketch idea: Google boardoom meeting. Cignetti plays some sort of peripheral character, like a deliveryman.

Past funny moment: Cignetti being told that he forgot Indiana’s pregame prayer before a game against Oregon, and responding, “Pray for Oregon.”

Dan Hurley

Why he could do it: With three appearances in the national championship game in the past four years, the UConn coach is the face of men’s college basketball—and a charismatic one at that. His lack of sideline restraint is ripe for parodying, and NBC would be eager to show off its Big East inventory to an urban audience.

How he could do it: As with Cignetti, one more national title probably puts him in rare pop-culture air; other routes include an extra-special meme or taking the Knicks coaching job (which would disqualify him from this list).

Suggested musical guest: Caroline Polachek, raised in Greenwich, Conn.

Half-hearted sketch idea: Hurley takes a referee training class.

Past funny moment: Indulging in a little physical comedy after a particularly chaotic recruiting day in 2024.

Lane Kiffin

Why he could do it: Kiffin is Capital-F Funny in a way that the overwhelming majority of college sports figures simply are not. His tabloid-friendly personal life cries out for parody, and he’d nail the social-media-friendly side of the equation.

How he could do it: At the risk of sounding like a broken record, a national championship probably raises Kiffin’s profile just enough to make him his season’s designated Southern emissary.

Suggested musical guest: Lainey Wilson, born in Baskin, La.

Half-hearted sketch idea: Kiffin on an airport tarmac parodying Waiting for Godot—like eight people will get it, but those eight will never forget it.

Past funny moment: Where to begin? Maybe with Kiffin clapping to mock Georgia’s Kirby Smart against the Bulldogs last year.

Pat McAfee

Why he could do it: He hosts his own variety show on ESPN every Saturday at 9 a.m. Eastern, or at least it feels that way. McAfee’s selection would likely draw eye rolls from SNL diehards, but he seems like the type of host to jam his way into as many skits as possible, for the people.

How he could do it: McAfee is famous enough to do this right now—can he stay away from controversy for a few years and win back segments of the public alienated by his stunts or ubiquity?

Suggested musical guest: Ella Langley.

Half-hearted sketch idea: A parody of The Pat McAfee Show where McAfee plays perma-NPC A.J. Hawk.

Past funny moment: “Vitamins are good,” McAfee told College GameDay co-star Nick Saban after Saban alluded to the former kicker’s alleged gummy enjoyment.

Dawn Staley

Why she could do it: She’s one of the women’s game’s most visible ambassadors—in the college or professional ranks. She also has an NBC-friendly Olympic pedigree, winning three gold medals as a player and one as a coach.

How she could do it: A fourth national championship, which never feels far away with Staley, would do the trick; Staley also feels likelier than most coaches to actually accept an invitation.

Suggested musical guest: The War on Drugs, on the grounds of Philadelphia.

Half-hearted sketch idea: Staley dukes it out with Huskies women’s coach Geno Auriemma; Auriemma is played by Alec Baldwin; the referee separating them is played by Auriemma.

Past funny moment: Just a handful of months ago, footage surfaced of Staley abandoning South Carolina’s team bus to coach up a parallel parker—perfect SNL fodder.

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